Tit For Tat
by Giacinta2
Summary: Sam's curious to know about Dean's time with Crowley, Dean not so much. One shot. gen.


"For you or Dad, the things I'm willing to do or kill ... it scares me sometimes."

:

Dean remembered saying those words and he marvelled at how true those sentiments were now as they were back then.

He studied his younger brother as he exchanged a few last words with the witness, giving the distressed woman a sympathetic nod before taking his leave and directing his tall lanky body back to the Impala.

Deep in his heart though, he knew Sam took precedence over his father and there were things he'd be willing to do for Sam that he wouldn't for his dad. Not that he didn't love John but the bond that linked him to his brother outclassed everything, even his parents.

:

Ten years had passed since Dean had dragged his frantic brother from Jess' burning apartment at Stanford, and since then life had been a patented bitch for them both.

They'd had to scale towering mountains of hardship interspersed with occasional foothills of respite. They'd been separated and reunited, tortured and put back together, mourned and comforted, even ushered down the path to demon-hood, yet here they still were, side by side.  
And Dean deliberated fiercely, it was the way he needed it to be.  
Shoulder to shoulder with Sam was how he wanted to spend the rest of his life, and when the time came there was no doubt in his mind he'd die with him.

:

Life without Sammy was not worth living.  
He'd experienced the emptiness of that lonely existence and had no interest in undergoing it again. Not that he was going to tell Sam that though, for he knew Sam would emo-bitch at him about getting a life if he were left on his own, or worse still, wheedle another stupid promise out of him like he'd managed once before at Stull Cemetery.

He'd really tried with Lisa, and though he'd found a certain comfort in the family life she and Ben had represented, it had been like comparing a photocopy of the Mona Lisa to the real thing.  
Sam was his family and no-one could take the place of his little brother. Dean no longer even questioned that basic truth now.

:

His back to the woman, a wide smile appeared on Sam's face.

Dean chuckled, Sam had gleaned information about the case and was eager to share with his big brother.  
When he was a kid, Sam had always come rushing up to him with his successes, knowing Dean would praise him. The little twerp would bask in it, his hazel eyes shining as his big brother's hand ruffled his unruly locks and voiced his approval.

Dean reckoned Sam had deserved every good word. In the difficult circumstances of their nomadic life, the kid had still managed to study and rack up results at school despite the number of times he'd had to change teachers and classmates.

:

"It was a demon, Dean. She says its eyes went black for a second," Sam murmured over the roof of the Impala. "She didn't say anything to the police for the usual reason of being thought crazy, but I eventually got it out of her."

"Rack up another hit for the puppies!" Dean grinned. "You should have kept a file. Hunts brought to a positive conclusion due to Sam Winchester's soulful eyes."  
"Shut up, jerk, " Sam huffed, but Dean could see his little brother was pleased.

"So, what next?" Dean asked as he drew the Impala away from the side-walk

"Good question, " Sam replied. "With Mrs Jones' husband that makes four victims, all in the immediate area. They might be random choices which makes everything more difficult. Better if there's some common link to the murders."

"Well, I'll leave all that interesting research to you, Sammy boy," Dean said. "Wouldn't want to take away the pleasure."  
"That crap doesn't work any more, Dean. We both know you're perfectly capable of researching a case. So don't feed me 'Sam's the brain, Dean's the grunt' line."

Dean sent his brother a lop-sided grin. "Can't get anything past you, can I?"  
"You never could, " Sam informed him haughtily. "I've followed you around all my life.. I know you better than I know myself!"

"Yeah, whatever!"

:

"Talking of demons," Sam added after a few silent minutes. "Do you remember all you did when you were in demon mode? When you had your 'summer of love' with Crowley?"

Dean turned baleful eyes on him. "I'd rather not talk about it, dude. It's not something I'm particularly proud of"

"Did you really have threesomes with him?" Sam probed, ignoring Dean's words.

"Sam! What part of 'I'd rather not talk about it' don't you understand?"

"You're not denying it then?" Sam insisted, a grin on his face.

:

It took a lot to cause Dean Winchester embarrassment but in this case he could feel his cheeks flushing.  
What he had participated in alongside a-gaah!-nude Crowley would haunt him forever, and it was something he was NOT going to share with Sam, not even under the most painful torture!

"If we're gonna go down that road, Sammy," he sparred. "Then it's gotta be on a fair exchange basis. If you tell me about your demon drinking sex with Ruby, I'll let you in on my nights out with Crowley."  
Dean was hoping Sam would shut the hell up now!

And with the pursing of his lips, Sam did. "Fine, let's get back to the case."

Dean let out a breath of relief.  
Sam might boast of knowing him, but Dean could vaunt four extra years of experience where his little brother was concerned, and he knew without doubt that Sam still felt uber guilty for having fallen for Ruby's lies.

:

He glanced over at his brother whose eyes were rigorously concentrated on his phone.  
"Sam. You pissed because I mentioned Ruby?"

"Na. Why would you think that?" Sam answered without lifting his head from the phone.

"Come on, man. We've both fucked up. The bitch kicked you when you were down."  
"Dean, I don't want to talk about it Does it matter after all this time anyway?"

"No. But I know you're still cut up about it. Don't be. She tricked you but when I took on the Mark of Cain, I did it voluntarily and look how that turned out."  
"It's not the same," Sam mumbled. "I let Lucifer out of the Cage."

"Well, because of me the Darkness got freed." He clapped a hand on his sibling's shoulder and grinned. "Pre-god entity beats Lucifer any time!"

Sam lifted his head to meet Dean's eyes. "Dude, you are incorrigible. Are we gonna have a contest to see which of us has brought down the worse apocalypse on the Earth!"

"Well, if it stops you from being a whiny little bitch, yes!"

:

Sam couldn't help but smile. The things they'd been a part of were so incredible that it came down to either hilarity or desperation. His smile deepened into all out laughter at the goofy expression on his big brother's face.

"That's my boy," Dean smirked, warmed by the the sound.  
As long as he had the ability to make his baby brother laugh, then all was right in his world.

The End.

PS. I know lots of people read my stories. It would be nice to know if you enjoy them too. :)


End file.
